[Antennas] Best Performing 160 Meter Antenna

Tue Oct 4 08:55:15 EDT 2005

I used a tuning capacitor from an old AM broadcast radio. They run up
to about 365 pF. I needed about 450 pF I believe, so I soldered a 200
pF 1000 WV silver mica capacitor across the variable. I only run about
100 Watts and have not had any problems. I don't adjust the cap much
since I seem to stay in the lower part of the phone band, but when I do,
I usually just adjust the tuner near the radio.

When I was building the antenna, it was suggested to use double sided PC
board as the capacitor. Since I had a MFJ-259B on hand, which measure
capacitance, I measured some scraps I had laying around. I came across
a peice about 2" x 6" which measured about 450 pF. I put it into the
system and sure enough, it brought the reactance down at just like a
capacitor. I decided to stick with the variable/fixed for the
flexibility and it was smaller and easier to fit in the weather proof
box I had on hand.

So if I have a problem with arching the capacitor(s), or ever get an
amp, I have an alternative in my scrap box. But it was another
educational experiment.

73 de NJ2L

-----Original Message-----
From: Duncan Cameron [mailto:dxer10 at hotmail.com] 
Sent: Monday, October 03, 2005 4:19 PM
To: Lefczik, Larry D
Subject: RE: [Antennas] Best Performing 160 Meter Antenna
Larry-
I am curious about what you used for a capcitor for this antenna.
Thanks- Scott Cameron
 _____ 
From: "Lefczik, Larry D" <larry.d.lefczik at lmco.com>
To: Antennas at mailman.qth.net
Subject: RE: [Antennas] Best Performing 160 Meter Antenna
Date: 2005年10月03日 09:26:23 -0400
>I built a 3/8-wave Inverted L with a variable matching capacitor at the
>base. I think the wire ended up around 166', I started at 170' and
kept
>trimming for 50 Ohms at 1840 KHz trimming the cap for ~j0.
>>Works great on 160 and the rest of the bands. Out performs my other
>antennas on 10 meters most of the time. Yes, I have a tuner inside to
>tweak it.
>>Building and installing the antenna was the easy part. Installing the
>ground radials is the work and the rest of the antenna that MUST be
>installed. (I just buried another radial this weekend.) If you can
lay
>the radials on the ground it is much easier and more efficient. If you
>can raise the feed point and radials up about 7 feet, you can use a lot
>less.
>>Don't waste your time with a dipole at 40-50 feet. They should be at
>least 150' for DX work.
>>Read the many books and web sites on antennas until the leaves drop off
>the trees.
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